Method of making wheels.



Patgnted May I, I900.

Nu. 648,6l0.

G. W. FRENCH. METHOD. OF MAKING WHEELS. 7 (Application filed Mar. 8,1900.) (No Mod l.) ASheefs-Sheet l.

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No. 648,6"). Patented May I, I900. G. W. FRENCH. METHOD OF MAKINGWHEELS.

(Application filed Mar. 8, 1900.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheef 2.

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.NITED STATES FFI PAT

GEORGE IV. FRENCH, OF DAVENPORT, IOIVA, ASSIGNOR TO THE BETTEN- DORFMETAL IVHEEL COMPANY, OF IOWVA.

METHOD OF MAKING WHEELS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 648,610, dated May 1,1900,

Application filed March 8, 1900. Serial No. 7,811. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. FRENCH, of Davenport, county of Scott, andState of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Methods ofMaking lVheels, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to the production of metal wheels, theobject being to produce a durable wheel of simple construct-ion inwhichv the spokes will be maintained under tension.

With this end in view my invention consists in bending the rim to extendoutwardly between adjacent spokes beyond a circular line passing throughthe points of connection of the spokes with the rim and subsequentlyforcing the outwardly-bent portion or portions inward, whereby thetendency of the rim under these conditions to enlarge in'diameter willexert an outward strain on the spokes and place them under tension. Thebending of the rim in this manner may be accomplished in a variety ofways, either by giving the rim a curve having a smaller radius thanthedesired wheel and attaching the rim to the ends of spokes fixed to ahub, or

desired wheel and drawing the same inward at intervals to meet thespokes, or forming the rim in the first instance with a series ofepicycloidal curves and attaching the ends of the spokes at thejunctions of the curves, or forming the rim where its ends are joined toextend outwardly at this point only. In all these cases the rim is atone or more-points so formed and connected with the spokes that itextends outward beyond a circular line passing through the points ofconnection of the spokes with the rim, the result being that when forcedinward the tendency of the rim to enlarge in diameter will cause anoutward strain to be'exerted on the spokes, and this is the essence ofthe invention without regard to the manner of forming or attaching therim or to the means of effecting the same.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of a rim bentwith a curve less than that of the desired wheel. Fig. 2 is an elevationof a hub and a series of spokes fixed therein suitable for beingattached to the rim represented in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an elevation I ofthe hub, spokes, and rim connected and as they appear before beingsubjected to pressure to force the bulging portions inward. Fig. 4 is anelevation of the completed wheel. Fig. 5 is an elevation showing a rimgreater in diameter than that of the desired wheel with the hub andspokes within the same. Fig. 6 is an elevation of a rim formed in thefirst instance with epicycloidal curves, and Fig. 7 is an elevation of awheel with one portion of the rim only between adjacent spokes extendingoutward.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, in carrying outmy-invention I provide a strip A of metal and I form in the same atintervals holes a to receive the outer ends of the spokes. This strip isof a length greater than is necessary for a wheel of the size desired,

so that when bentoutward between the spokes its ends will meet and maybe connected. I bend same by any suitable means with a curve having aradius less than that of the wheel, and this will cause the ends of therim to overlap, as at a, Fig. 1. I next attach to a hub B, Fig. 2, aseries of'spokes C, which are passed through the holes in the rim andfirmly secured therein, preferably by forming heads on the spokes. Theends of the rim are then secured together. Owing to the fact that therim has a curve less than that of the desired wheel, whose diameter isthe distance between the outer ends of diametrically-opposite spokes,the portions of the rim between the spokes will bulge or extend outwardand will present the appearance illustated in Fi 3. I next by suitablemeans, preferably bya shrinker, subject the outwardly-extending portionsof the wheel to an inward pressure to bring these portions at or near acircular 9 line passing through the points of connection of the rim withthe ends of the spokes to remove unevenness in the surface. WVhen theseportions are thus forced inward, there is of course a tendency of therim to enlarge in di- 5 ameter, and this exerting an outward strain onthe spokes will place them under tension. While I prefer to carry myinvention into effect in the foregoing manner, there are other ways bywhich it may be accomplished, and my invention is intended to embraceall of these. For instance, the rim may be formed with its endsconnected and of a diameter greater than that of the desired wheel, asillustrated in Fig. 5, and this rim may be drawn in at intervals, asrepresented by dotted lines,

in said figure, to meet the ends of the spokes and may be secured atthese points. would produce a wheel with outwardly-extending portions,as in Fig. 3, and the spokes could be placed under tension by forcingthe bulging portions inward, as in the first instance.

In Fig. 6 I have represented still another form of rim. Here the same ismade of a series of outwardly-extending curves D, joining each other atpoints 6. At these points the rim may be secured to the outer ends ofspokes projecting from a hub, as in the other figures, and when soconnected a wheel of the same appearance as those described is produced,which when subjected to pressure, as before, will place the spokes undertension.

While I prefer to bend the rim outward at intervals between adjacentspokes entirely around the wheel, as described, to insure uniformity ofstrain on the spokes, thisis not absolutely essential, for good resultsmay be obtained by bending the rim outward at but one point only, asshown in Fig. 7. Here it is seen that the rim, where its ends areconnected, is bent outward, it being more con- Venient to bend the rimoutward while forming this joint than while the spokes are beingconnected.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In the method ofmaking metal wheels, bending the rim to extend outwardly betweenadjacent spokes beyond a circular line passing through the points ofconnect-ion of the This securing the ends of the spokes to the strip atintervals; whereby the strip will bulge outwardly between adjacentspokes, and finally forcing these bulging portions of the rim inward.

at. The method of making metal wheels which consists in providing astrip of greater length than the circumference of the desired wheel andformed at intervals with holes to receive the spokes, bending this stripwith a curve having a radius less than thatof the desired wheel,providing a hub with spokes rigidly attached, passing the ends of thespokes through the holes in the rim, securing the spokes thereto, andjoining the ends of the rim; whereby the rim between the spokes willbulge outwardly, and finally forcing these outwardly-bulging portions ofthe rim inward.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand, this 3d day of March, 1900,in the presence of two attesting witnesses.

GEORGE IV. FRENCH.

Witnesses:

NATH FRENCH, MA L. DODGE.

